The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-07-30
HOW TO KEEP EXPENSES
BY ALICE WELLINGTON ROLLINS.

liar said the young bride of month,
exhibiting with pride beautiful little
account book, just presented to her by
her husband.
Yes, very pretty book" said Aunt
Amelia, grimly. "But you will save
yourself great deal of trouble, Laura,
II you never use it,"
"Of course, know should save my
self great deal Of trouble" said the
bride with dignity. "But I don't mean
to be wasteful just to save myself the
trouble of keeping accounts"
"Of course not. 1 am the last person
In the world to wish you to be. But
could never understand how putting
down on paper what you had spent your
money for in any way lessened the amount
you had spent, though know it is most
peoples idea of economy"
Then what would you do. Aunt Anne
LAP"
IL should have an allowance. should
insist upon an allowance. Let your hus-
band calculate what he can afford to
spend every year, and let him give you
the first OF every month what he can spare
for your household and personal expenses.
1 should have a separate allowance for
each, with the understanding that what
ever you could save out of either by good
management should be your own to put
to any purpose whatsoever,-to spend in
little Injuries or charities or presents or
what you will. You have no idea how it
adds to the zest Of managing to have in
view little private spree of your own
out OF it. OF the amount for household
expenses I should put aside little sum
as an emergency fund, remembering that
nothing is SO sure to happen as the un-
expected, especially in matters of expend-
iture. Then I should divide the rest
about evenly for butchers and grocer's
bills. You will have to have running
account with your grocer, because it is
troublesome to pay for every ounce of
pepper you happen to want; but don't
trust to ordering only what you think
you must have or can afford, trusting to
its coming out right at the end of the
month. Write the orders in your grocer's
book yourself, put down opposite each
the price he tells you, and add this little
account each day in the book, to be sure
you are not exceeding your average. OF
course, some days you will have to exceed
the daily allowance, but, if you do. on
other days you must cut it down; for you
must never trust to your emergency fund
to cover deficits in ordinary expenses
Your butcher you should pay every day
for what you order at the time. Suppose
you have allowed yourself dollar day
for him: some days you will pay more,
but many days less, since a roast for you
two ought to make you two or three din
ners and breakfasts. When you sally
forth in the morning, take with you
what you mean to spend, and always
when you come back see that you have
brought back the right change.
$50 much keeping Of accounts I ap.
prove Of, as it is satisfaction to see that
your money has gone where it ought to 90,
and that you haven't lost any. But to sit
down and spend valuable hour in writ
ing into big book that you have spent
SO much for pins, SO much for beefsteak,
80 much for a coffee-pot, with the usual
method OF making the account balance
by putting down all money you can't &C.
count for as spent for sundries, is fool
ish waste of time, and has nothing what
ever to do with true economy. Your
present idea is for George to give you
hundred dollars some morning, and then
to begin spending it for anything you
happen to want, writing down religiously
what you spend it for. Then, when it is
gone, you will take your little book to
George, and say: If you please, George
dear, 1 would like another hundred dol
lars. I have spent the other, and here is
what I have spent it for At the end of
the year, you will have no more idea how
much money you have spent, or whether
you have kept properly within your hus-
bands income, unless, indeed, you go to
work and laboriously add up all your
years accounts in the little book, than q
stranger would. This is true economy,
Laura; have an allowance within your
husbands income, and never, never,
never, under any circumstances whatever,
allow yourself to exceed it. Then, sup
posing your allowance to be 800 per
month.-$1,2 200 a year,-you know, and
your husband knows, exactly at any given
moment, what you are spending; and
that neither of you has the least idea
whether it was spent for candy, bric.a-
brac, or -four, so long as you were will
ling for that amount to be spent, is not
OF the least Importance to either of you.
Never have running accounts with butch
ere, dry-goods dealers, or dress-mskers.
II you do, 1 confess you will find it hard
to know just where you stand, whether
you keep accounts or not. Allow moth
ing charged beyond the end of the month,
and as little as possible till then. A
friend of mine once reproached me as a
most careless wife and housekeeper, be-
cause had never kept an account in my
life. But do you know YOURSELF
asked her, with all your keeping of 40
counts, just how much money you spent
last year, or even last month"; No, she
did not. Henry did not believe in hay
ing much money in the house at time,